General Electric has taken its additive manufacturing system to the extreme by using it to build a functional jet engine. The company's laser-based process, which fuses layers of metal into finished parts, produced an engine that spun at 33,000 revolutions per minute without any problems.
From a personal perspective, a working 3D print is far more relevant to the evolution of this technology than decorative objects. There is nothing wrong with printing ornaments that would be almost impossible to create by hand, but the real potential of 3D printers is seen in spare parts, implants that don't cause rejection, and, as in the case of General Electric, a jet engine.
Companies are always exploring different ways to build their products more efficiently, and the Connecticut giant is no exception. When precision levels are high enough, additive manufacturing offers several advantages over subtractive methods, starting with less material waste and lower post-printing intervention on each part.
The Mini Jet Engine
GE didn't scale down a full-size jet engine; instead, its engineers used the plans of a similar engine designed for the radio-control market. They then adjusted those plans to optimize the additive construction. However, the most important difference is that GE used high-strength, high-temperature alloys that are certainly not available to radio-control enthusiasts. Even so, most parts still require some post-processing, including polishing. In total, the jet engine is about 30 centimeters long and 20 centimeters high.
Toward Certification
In direct applications, General Electric has also advanced 3D printing. In mid-April, the U.S. FAA approved the use of a component manufactured with additive processes for the GE90 engines that the company provides to high-profile aircraft such as the Boeing 777. I imagine that in the near future GE will try to obtain certifications for a greater number of parts. A fully 3D-printed jet engine may still be a bit far off on the calendar, but we are slowly getting closer, and we can't deny that it looks very good.
Official announcement: GE Reports
